Well, it's official: It's #HochulsMTA.
Late yesterday, we learned that the MTA will push its board — despite the board's fiduciary duty to the transit system's fiscal security — to rubber stamp a resolution officially rolling over and accepting the governor's "indefinite pause" of congestion pricing.
The Post also covered it.
The leaking of the resolution came just hours before Wednesday's epic board meeting — the first full board confab since Congestion Kathy blocked implementation of the one plan that (whatever you think of tolls) everyone agreed would create a reliable stream of cash to fund $15 billion in necessary transit repairs and modernization.
Activists were already planning on meeting at MTA HQ at 8 a.m. to rally against Hochul. Now they'll have two targets. (Watch out for whipped cream pies, Janno!)
Before the resolution bombshell fell, there were other congestion pricing developments yesterday:
- Several outlets covered Comptroller Tom DiNapoli's raw assessment of MTA finances in the wake of Gov Hochul's congestion pricing pause. (NYDN, Streetsblog)
- Speaking of troubling finances, there was no better symbol of them than an amNY story about how the MTA is using plastic zip ties to hold up key infrastructure. (In fairness to the embattled agency, it's just a routine temporary measure.)
- Mayor Adams once again embarrassed himself by suggesting that cracking down on double-parking will fix congestion in the city. (Gothamist)
- State Sen. Liz Krueger issued a broadside attack on Gov. Hochul:
The best option to get out of this crisis that impacts the entire 12-county MTA region is to go forward with congestion pricing as the law requires. There's absolutely no need for any of these terrible storylines to become reality. https://t.co/xRoq9blvvg
— Senator Liz Krueger (@LizKrueger) June 25, 2024
In addition, to get you set up for today's meeting, Vital City did a nice overview of Hochul's "pause" that included this great line, "Not since Sonny Corleone was gunned down on the Long Beach Causeway has there been this much discussion about an incident involving toll collection."
And Democracy Now's Amy Goodman did some great coverage of the outrage that Gov. Hochul's "pause" has caused. (Though my old Daily News colleague, Juan Gonzalez had an odd take, as Komanoff pointed out):
Inspiring to see a 19-y-o climate activist school an iconic but out-of-touch journo who called NYC #congestionpricing "largely a tax on lower & middle class NY'ers." Hey @juangon68, not every struggle is bosses v. workers, or Wall St. v. Main St. There’s also cars v. people. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/LjdBLJXWeP
— Charles Komanoff (@Komanoff) June 25, 2024
In other news:
- Really, NYPD, this is your priority? Taking away from new immigrants the only means with which they can make a living? Yes, we oppose illegal mopeds, too, but until there's a policy that can help new immigrants earn an honest wage, we support caring, not snaring. (NY Post)
- Colin and Pete bought the wrong ferry boat — they could have had boats named after themselves! (amNY)
- There was a very telling exchange at the mayor's weekly off-topic press conference yesterday, as captured on X:
Some student journalists are joining the mayor’s off topic press conference today.
— Annie McDonough (@Annie_McDonough) June 25, 2024
“This will be a lesson in how not to be a journalist,” Ingrid Lewis-Martin says.
- The Times's latest "Street Wars" column is reasonable for once, quoting a micromobility user who pointed out that cars are the primary danger on the roadways. But what's with the framing that people who get around outside a car are "weird"? That makes no sense ... unless you suffer from car brain.
- The amNY editorial board is worried about some car infrastructure that should probably just be torn down.
- And in some sad personal (or, more accurately, personnel) news... (Crain's)
- And, finally, there's a real jerk in Greenpoint who is defacing Liem Nhan’s ghost bike memorial:
